Up north in the OHL


By
September 23, 2016

All three northern teams — Soo Greyhounds, Sudbury Wolves and North Bay Battalion — begin their 2016-2017 Ontario Hockey League regular-season schedule on home ice tonight.

SOO — The Greyhounds, who play host to the Windsor Spitfires, are coming off a 2015-2016 season in which they stunned the heavily-favoured Sarnia Sting in the first round of the playoffs before losing to the Erie Otters in the second round of the Western Conference bracket. Under second-year head coach Drew Bannister, the Hounds begin this season with eight players away at National Hockey League training camps.

SUDBURY — Having missed the Eastern Conference playoffs the past two years, the Wolves start fresh against the Oshawa Generals under new ownership. With general manager Barclay Branch having made several trades to upgrade the Wolves over the past year, making the playoffs is a must for head coach David Matsos and his Sudbury skaters.

NORTH BAY — The Battalion is home to the Niagara IceDogs to begin another season in the Gateway City. The Troops ended last season with a second-round playoff loss to the Barrie Colts after edging the Peterborough Petes in the opening round of the Eastern Conference bracket. Under veteran bench boss Stan Butler — the best coach to run an OHL team in North Bay since the legendary Bert Templeton left the old Centennials in 1994 — the Battalion is an annual contender.


What you think about “Up north in the OHL”

  1. Doesn’t appear that the Wolves will be the doormats they have been for the last couple of years. They were up emotionally for games against the Bay last season and took some points there but I see them doing even better this year because the Troops are scoring challenged this time around. The Soo always seems to have fast sniping forwards upfront so of these three northern clubs, NB might be the one that struggles early on. Butler usually makes the playoffs but to do that this year they will either have to improve a whole lot more or hit the trading market.

  2. I tend to agree, mate. It will be interesting to see if the Wolves will shake their tendency towards internal dissention, and self-destruction from within. Primadonnas don’t tend to win championships. Will the change of ownership bring better times? It is to be hoped. (The Burgess clan treated Bert T. in a very shabby manner during the time leading up to his death.)
    Anyway, it would be great to see 3 highly competitive teams from ‘the North’ enjoying success in the coming season.
    Cheers!

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